Misery Loves Company
by HistoryBuffer
Summary: Rasmodius really should know better than to mess around with alternate universes. Or, Farmer Liza finds herself saddled with a large, pink asshole. Doflamingo finds himself bunking with a peasant. They'll be lucky if the farm remains standing.
1. Prologue, Part I- The Wizard

The Wizard, M. Rasmodius, had long been interested in the concept of the multiverse. Universal boundaries, alternate dimensions, and other similar theories had been his pet project for _decades_. At first, he believed it would help unravel the mystery of the Junimos, but as time passed Rasmodius found himself ever more enchanted by the endless possibilities the multiverse provided.

And so, one dark and stormy night (Rasmodius had always loved theatrics), he carefully made the preparations for his breakthrough spell. It was meant to probe the universal boundaries, to test its limits. He carefully drew the lines on the floor, and placed in its center a Prism Shard the Farmer had gifted him earlier in the week. His mind was hyper focused on his task, and as the wind and rain beat against the tower, he began his incantation.

However, the lighting was dim, and the words rather small, but Rasmodius was nothing if not thorough. As he finished the last sentences of the spell, his voice rose to a rising crescendo!

There was a _crack!_ of lightning, and an unearthly wrenching of noise, as if reality itself was warped and bent. Rasmodius covered his eyes to protect him from the blinding light, when, just as suddenly it began, it was over.

There was a terrible silence. Even the storm had ceased its howling. Slowly, tentatively, he lowered his hands from his face and beheld…

…A flamingo?

 **Notes: Thanks to Fiend for agreeing to beta. Once again, this work is cross-posted from AO3. For faster updates, please visit the link in my profile. Otherwise, please enjoy!**


	2. Prologue, Part II- The Flamingo

Donquixote Doflamingo, the Heavenly Demon, former Celestial Dragon, and now-former Warlord of the Sea, was _not_ having a good day. His legacy, his kingdom, all were torn from him in an instant by a couple of _brats!_

When he woke, and realized he was chained in Impel Down, he nearly laughed at the absurdity of it all. How many "allies" had he sent here when they were no longer useful? How many subordinates had he left here to rot? As the _hoursdaysmonthsyears_ crawled to a stop, Doflamingo found himself with lots of time to _seethe._

Before Impel Down, before _that straw-hatted upstart_ , Doflamingo didn't give himself much time to wallow. He was a _god_ after all, and what use has a god for things like self-reflection, or regret? And so, in the near-silence of prison, left to rot in the crypts of Level 6, Doflamingo found his mind filled with all the pent-up rage and loathing he had kept at bay.

(And if, in the darkest corners of his mind, a tiny portion of that rage and hatred was directed at himself, at his actions, well, then, no one had to know)

Doflamingo had a plan for escape, of course. But he felt it best to bide his time, to wait until after the Reverie, until after the backlash had subsided and the masses forgot the worst of his crimes. Then, he would strike, breaking free and regaining the leverage he had lost. He was a god, after all. Time was something he had plenty of. He relaxed in his chains, thinking of all the ways he would make those _brats_ regret what they'd done.

There was a flash.

There was a great and terrible wrenching sound.

And Doflamingo's world was lost to white.


	3. Prologue, Part III- The Farmer

Farmer Liza was having a… _difficult_ day. It was the first of spring, which meant that in addition to planting the first round of seeds for the season, she also had to contend with the rocks and weeds and saplings that sprung up overnight. Which meant a long, trying day as she rebuilt the muscle that she had lost over the winter months. Oh, and she couldn't forget to feed her near-army of ravenous animals, all begging for her undivided attention.

However, the Farmer couldn't _really_ find it in herself to complain. At least here, she had fresh air and the ever-present sounds of the river that surrounded her farm. She'd take callouses and demanding chickens over fluorescent lighting and overbearing bosses any day. She'd built a life here, rebuilt Grandfather's legacy from virtually nothing, and she _goddamn_ was she proud of that. She'd made friends with the shadows is the sewer, with the Junimos of the forest, and soon Joja would be driven out of the Valley. She'd accomplished so much in the three years she's been here!

 _(So why did she feel so lonely?)_

The Farmer went to bed that night aching and exhausted, listening to the howling of the storm.

She was awakened by the cries of the Junimo.

 _:Danger!:_ they cried. _:Danger in the forest! Danger in the tower!:_

 _"_ _What has Rasmodius done now?"_ she thought. There was no time to waste. Grabbing her sword and her boots, she dashed out into the calming storm, mounting her horse and riding out towards the forest.


	4. Chapter 1- First Impressions

Liza didn't really know what to expect when she busted into Rasmodius' tower. A demonic horde, perhaps, or some arcane mummy from the depths of Skull Cavern gone rogue. Just in case, she readied her sword and charged in, ready to impale whatever problem Rasmodius had created. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time.

The door gave way after a solid kick, and Liza steeled herself for the worst.

"Ah, Farmer Liza! Great timing, I could, ah, use some help." Rasmodius' muffled voice carried from under a pink monstrosity that looked like it was trying to smother him.

Liza honestly couldn't blame it.

"Rasmodius- _what the hell did you do now?!"_ Liza demanded, gearing up for an epic tirade. "It is the _middle of the goddamn night_ , I do not have time to be running after you! Can't you save your experiments for a more decent hour?!"

"Liza, please, I understand you have your concerns- "

 _"_ _Understatement of the fucking year- "_

"-But now isn't really a good time- "

 _"_ _-Like hell it isn't!-"_

"-And I would prefer not to choke on feathers so if you would kindly help me up-"

 _"_ _-Like hell I will!-"_

As Liza and Rasmodius were bickering, the Monstrosity (as Liza had temporarily dubbed it), had deemed now a good time to remind the two bickering friends of his presence. Letting forth a series of loud honks, the flamingo(?) flapped its wings and kicked up a ruckus.

"Oh, I do believe it's trying to tell us something!" said Rasmodius, still under the giant bird. "Help me up, Liza, I think I have something that will help me understand it."

After quite a bit of fussing, Liza managed to shoo the strange pink bird away from Rasmodius, who immediately began rummaging through the myriad chests and cabinets that littered the room.

"A- _ha!_ Here it is!"

With a flourish, Rasmodius held up a strange, conch-shell-shaped object. "This will help me understand what he's saying! I developed it years ago, but never found much use for it." Putting the shell to his ear, he said to the flamingo, "Now, kindly repeat that, if you please."

Listening to the bird's indignant squawks, Rasmodius grew paler and paler, his eyes widening further and further.

Liza was starting to reach the end of whatever patience she had left.

"Well?!" she demanded. "What did it say?!"

Rasmodius straightened up and turned to Liza, speaking over the bird's squawking. " _He_ said his name was Doflamingo."

"That's it?"

"Well, no, he _also_ threatened some very, ah, _creative_ means of death if I didn't return him to where he came from. Of course, it was said more… _colorfully_ , but you get the idea."

"Wait, where _did_ he come from?" Liza asked. "I thought it was just the result of one of your bad experiments."

Rasmodius' face adopted a sheepish expression. "Well, you're not _wrong_ exactly…"

 _"_ _Rasmodius what did you do?!"_

"...I may or may not have been messing with universal barriers, and this guy fell through as a consequence. It _also_ seems to have turned him into a giant bird."

 _"_ _WHAT?!"_ Liza brandished her sword. "Can't you put him _back?!"_

"Well, no, not really. I'd need a detailed description of the world he came from, and while my device is good for rudimentary conversation, it's not infallible. I'll have to turn him back into his original shape before I send him home."

The bird (" _What was its name again?",_ Liza wondered, _"Dof-something?"_ ) squawked indignantly, fed up of being left out of the conversation. Rasmodius turned to it- _him-_ and addressed him directly.

"My deepest apologies, but I'm afraid I can't turn you back immediately. The potion required to do so is extremely delicate and will take several weeks to brew. However, Liza here will be more than happy to accommodate you on her farm."

"Hey! Don't volunteer me for things!" Liza blurted. "Look after your own messes!"

"It makes the most sense." Rasmodius dismissed. "You had Robin upgrade your house recently, correct? You certainly have more room than here, and I find it unwise to bring the other townsfolk into the fold. The less people who know, the better. And besides, now you get an extra hand- er, _wing_ \- on the farm!" Rasmodius then waved his hand, and Liza had a flash of foreboding. "Thank you for your help, Farmer Liza. I'll send you both to the farm immediately and let you get acquainted."

Rasmodius snapped his fingers, and Liza once again found herself on her front porch. Except, this time, she had a large cantankerous bird to watch over. She turned to it.

"You sleep in the barn."

The bird looked deeply offended.


	5. Chapter 2- A Whole New World

Doflamingo wanted revenge. He would _destroy_ that impudent woman who _dared_ suggest that he sleep in a _barn_ like some sort of common _animal_. He wouldn't kill her, not yet, not until he regained his human shape. After all, that Wizard was certainly a fool, but he wouldn't turn Doflamingo back into a human if he killed his friend. Besides, he wanted them both to suffer. It would be much, much more satisfying to prolong her suffering.

But how to get started? As Doflamingo settled on the front porch of the farmhouse, he considered his options. It would be prudent to observe for now, he decided, to determine the Farmer's weaknesses. Find what she treasured most, and _destroy it_ right in front of her eyes. People reading was his specialty, after all, so he'd give it a day of careful observation before he made his move. Now that he had a satisfying plan in place, he put the majority of his anger to the side and shifted to a more comfortable position to watch the sun rise over the farm.

As the dawn slowly broke over the farm, Doflamingo watched the colors bleed into the sky and take stock of his surroundings. He was surprised to see that the farm wasn't really a _farm_ , but a series of connected islands. There were two large buildings to the right of the farmhouse, which Doflamingo could only assume was the barn and coop.

As the wind stirred his feathers and the fresh air filled his lungs, Doflamingo turned his eyes towards the sunrise once more, watching the beautiful golds and reds reflect off the water.

( _At least,_ the far corners of his mind whispered, _at least I'm not in prison. At least I can feel the sun again.)_

Doflamingo's inner musings were rudely interrupted by a large, purple _nuisance_ stomping his way onto the porch and banging on the Farmer's front door.

"Farmer Liza!" he barked. "Farmer Liza! I'm here on official JojaCorp. Business! Open up! Farmer Liza!"

His incessant banging was interrupted when the door swung open abruptly, a gleaming purple sword tip aimed right between the nuisance's eyes. The annoyance gulped, a pale sheen of sweat gathered on his face. At least he shut up, Doflamingo was starting to get a headache from all the noise.

 _"_ _Morris"_ the Farmer said, the words dripping out like poison. "Care to tell me why you're breaking down my door at _five in the goddamn morning?!"_

Doflamingo shifted himself to get a better view of the oncoming argument. This was bound to be entertaining. If he had hands, he'd be getting out the popcorn.

The Nuisance sniffed. "I thought you farm people rose with the sun! It's really quite unproductive to sleep in so late! Why, at JojaMart, this kind of slacking would never have been tolerated-"

"If all you're going to do is lecture me," interrupted Liza, "then leave. I've had more than enough of pompous assholes telling how to do my goddamn job."

Her sword didn't lower an inch.

"Now, now, Farmer, let's all be adults about this. Why don't you put the sword down and we can have a civil conversation?" The Nuisance's voice took on a condescending tone even as he went cross-eyed looking at the gleaming sword point.

"I'll show you just how _civil_ I can be if you don't _get to the goddamn point_. I have shit to do Morris, and I don't have time to deal with idiots. Cut the bullshit. What do you want."

 _Seems the Farmer has some fire in her after all,_ thought Doflamingo. _This will make torturing her all the more satisfying. Fufufufufufufu~~_

"Yes, well, on behalf of JojaCorp, I came to offer you an _exclusive_ deal on your JojaMart membership! Corporate gave _special_ permission for a thirty-day free trial with _all_ benefits included! All you have to do is sign our Disclosure Agreement and you're good to go!" The Nuisance gave a slimy smile. "So, what do you say?"

The Farmer looked enraged as she towered over the purple nuisance. "I say that if you don't get off my lawn _right fucking now_ I'll boot you straight into the river!"

The Nuisance looked disappointed even through his terror. "So, is that a no?"

"That's a _never._ You're not getting the Community Center, Morris. Not even over my dead body. Joja has already done more than enough damage to the Valley."

"I'll have you know this is a once-in-a-lifetime offer!"

"You say that every time Morris, and every time you bother me with a new one. Now _get the fuck lost_. I've wasted enough time."

The Nuisance looked like he was going to argue, but he gave the Farmer's sword a nervous glance and seemed to think better of it. "This isn't over, Liza. My bosses want that warehouse, one way or another. And it's my job to deliver, one way or another." With that, the Nuisance turned to leave. Doflamingo, unwilling to let an opportunity pass, flared his wings and made an impressive screeching. The sheer terror on the Nuisance's face was deeply amusing, and the sound of unholy terror he made was music to his ears. Doflamingo cackled to himself as he watched the portly man dash away in fright.

The Farmer huffed in soft laughter. "About goddamn time he left. He must be getting desperate, that's the third time this week he's bothered me." She glanced in Doflamingo's direction. "Thanks for that. Next time you see him, do me a favor and chase him off. You're not _that_ scary, but Morris is afraid of his own shadow."

- _Not that scary?!_ Doflamingo swore to show her _not that scary._

 **Notes: Annnd that's all she wrote, folks, at least for now. The next chapter is in the works and should be up soonly. For faster updates, please see my AO3. Otherwise, I'll see you all again soon. Enjoy~~!**


	6. Chapter 3- The Schoolteacher

After Morris' admittedly hilarious departure, Liza went to brew herself some _very_ strong coffee before starting work around the farm. She noticed that the flamingo had followed her in, but decided she'd deal with _that_ particular headache later.

After coffee and breakfast, she got to work on her daily chores. Watering the crops that her sprinklers didn't cover, feeding and petting all twenty-four of her needy, ravenous farm animals, collecting all of their eggs, wool, feathers, feet and milk, getting the mayonnaise and cheese makers started, picking ripened fruit from the trees, the list went on and on and on. Sometimes Liza wished she could afford to hire help.

The whole process wasn't helped by the large, entirely unhelpful flamingo watching her every move.

Finally, around one o'clock judging by the sun's position, Liza had finally finished her morning chores, collapsing on her porch steps from exhaustion. She lazily watched the clouds pass overhead, listening to the rushing wind as she tried to regroup her energy.

She must have fallen asleep at some point, startling awake when a small, shrill voice started yelling directly in her ear.

"Miss Liza! Are you dead?" the voice shouted.

Liza's eyes snapped open to see Vincent and Jas hovering over her worriedly. Blearily she sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What are you rascals doing here? Shouldn't you be in the library with your tutor?"

Vincent pouted. "But Miss Liza, you promised to come with us to the playground today! Miss Penny said to come get you!"

Liza smiled mischeviously. " _Did_ I promise that? I don't recall."

 _"_ _Miss Liza!_ " Vincent whined. "You _promised."_

Jas was giggling softly as Liza teased Vincent softly, but stopped abruptly at the sight of the flamingo behind Liza. Her eyes widened in soft childish wonder at the exotic bird and she slowly began to approach it. Doffy eyed her approach warily, inching away when Jas reached out towards him.

"Careful, Jas, that one has a temper like you wouldn't believe. Best give him some space." Liza said as she stood up, brushing the dirt off her pants. Jas looked a little disappointed as she scuffled over to Liza. "Figures. All the pretty birds are mean."

Doffy, hearing that comment, floofed up his feathers angrily. Liza, sensing another tantrum, scooped up Jas and Vincent in each arm and stared walking down the path to town. "All right, you rascals, let's go find your teacher. You said she's at the playground?"

The walk into town was serene in the late afternoon. The deep golden hues of sunshine streamed lazily from the trees, the only sounds that of Liza's footsteps and the mild rustling of Doffy's feathers as he trailed behind her.

As they got closer to the playground, Liza put the children down and tried to mildly fix her clothing and hair. As Vincent and Jas ran excitedly to the jungle gyms, Liza found herself captivated by Miss Penny, the de facto schoolteacher of Pelican Town, who was also glaring at her in irritation. _Uh-oh_ , thought Liza. _This can't be good._ Doffy made himself scarce as Penny marched over to where Liza was standing.

"Do you have any idea how _late_ you are?!" Penny berated her. " _Where have you been?!"_

Liza smirked. "Aww, Miss Penny, were you worried about me? Don't worry, I just fell asleep."

Penny turned a light shade of red. She continued in a softer tone. "How can I not worry? You're all alone up there on that farm, working all by yourself. You're going to overwork yourself!"

For a brief, glorious moment, Liza allowed herself to _hope_. Hope that Penny actually _liked_ her, hope that Penny cared about her as more than just a friend and playmate to Vincent and Jas. Then Liza put that hope away, tucked it deep inside her heart, because there was no way she had the time even _if_ Penny returned her feelings (and that, Liza believed, was a very big _if)_. So instead of saying what she wanted to, Liza said instead, "Oh, I'll be alright. The little rascals woke me up, and I got here on time anyway! Let's just focus on having fun with the kids, okay?" She smiled brightly at Penny, who looked like she wanted to argue but only sighed in response.  
"I suppose" was all she said.

The conversation was over, and the two of them tried to focus on the kids instead of the rising tension between them.

It didn't work.


	7. Chapter 4: Into the Mines

Doflamingo was in hell. A dull, quaint hell full of the small-town peasantry that made him sick to his stomach. Currently he was sprawled on the porch of the farmhouse, watching the farmer's daily chores. _Again._

It was such a profoundly mind-numbing existence, and he wondered how the Farmer could stand wallowing in obscurity. The entire town _reeked_ of normalness, of unremarkability, and the sheer _boredom_ of it all was enough to drive him up a wall. He craved _action,_ a decent fight, _something_. At least back in his own world there was no shortage of overeager peasants to kick around, and no one strong or _stupid_ enough to stop him.

 _(Not no one_ , his mind oh-so-helpfully supplied, _there was one. The only one, and look how well that turned out.)_

Doflamingo determinedly focused back on his surroundings, desperate to get out of his own head. He noticed the Farmer strapping on some form of sturdy leather armor, hooking a pickaxe onto her back and her sword to her hip. he perked up. It looked like she was gearing for a fight, and Doflamingo would magnanimously lend her his assistance.

However, the Farmer, a shameless ingrate, did not seem to appreciate this boon.

"Oh no," she said, "You are _not_ coming to the mines with me."

Doflamingo sat on her feet stubbornly. She wasn't going anywhere until she thanked him for gracing her with his presence. He needed some action, but only _after_ this peasant showed proper gratitude.

The Farmer tugged at her braids in frustration.

"Oh, for the love of-! The mines are _dangerous_!"

Doflamingo just settled his weight more directly onto her boots. He would never admit it, but the sheer petty joy he got from messing with the Farmer was _the_ highlight of his week.

The Farmer let out a heavy, bone-weary sigh.

" _Fine,_ you overgrown excuse for a chicken! But if you get mauled by a shadow-wraith, don't say I didn't warn you!"

The taste of victory, Doflamingo decided, was sweet indeed.

Despite all the Farmer's blustering about danger in the mines, Doflamingo did not find it to be all that dangerous, or even that exciting. The Farmer took Doflamingo through a narrow backwoods path through the mountains, past a large house nestled near the summit, all the way to a small opening in the mountain. From there, it was a long, rickety elevator ride into the depths of the mines. After long minutes of torturous silence, broken only by the ominous rattling and creaking of the elevator.

Doflamingo wasn't sure what he expected, but a boiling lava lake was not one of them. The Farmer gestured to the lake.

"Be careful around that. It's full of venomous lava eels. Rasmodius keeps bugging me to fish one for his research, but I told him he'll have to buy me an iridium rod. Guess he doesn't want to study them that badly."

She made her way over to a rickety ladder leading to the dark depths below. Doflamingo couldn't climb down the ladder in his current state, but he came up with a genius plan.

Using the descending farmer as a stepladder, he neatly landed on the ground behind her, turning back to grin smugly at her.

She just gave him a long-suffering look in response and continued through the passage in front of them. Light, Doflamingo noticed, didn't seem to be a problem down in the depths of the mines. A purple band on the Farmer's thumb gave off a soft yellow light, and it, combined with the soft ambient light of the occasional torch, illuminated the way forward.

They made their way steadily down the next couple of levels, with the Farmer fending off vampiric bats and blood-red slimes. He allowed the Farmer to lead him through and handle these lesser threats. Such weak opponents weren't worth his effort.

Doflamingo felt his temper beginning to rise. He had thought, mistakenly it seems, that going into the mines would result in a decent fight. He could feel the boredom coming back, pressing its weight onto the back of his mind. The oppressive heat of the deepest levels was not helping his disposition either.

When the Farmer led him down to yet another ladder to yet another boring level, he had decided that enough was enough. Discreetly grabbing a forgotten torch from the wall sconce with his beak, he wandered down a different hallway away from the Farmer. In no time, he found himself in a wonderous, glittering cavern. Doflamingo took a second to appreciate its sheer beauty. The entire cavern was covered in a glowing, glittering red crystal, culminating in a wonderous light display as the torchlight refracted off of the crystal. Stalking over to the nearest wall, he leaned forward to get a closer look.

A scuffle sounded behind him, alerting Doflamingo to the presence behind him. _Odd_ , he thought dimly, _my haki should have sensed this earlier._ Before him was a massive, hulking nightmare, cloaked in shadow with only its rotted hands exposed. It looked a good deal stronger than the slimes and bats, and a good deal angrier too.

Doflamingo would have grinned if his beak allowed it. _Finally, a challenge._

As the wraith attacked, Doflamingo leaped quickly to the side. Landing nimbly on the other side of the creature, he raised his wing to make a slashing motion. His strings would take care of the rest.

Except…they didn't.

Doflamingo looked at his wing incredulously. _His Devil Fruit…. won't work?_ He swiped his wing again, trying once more to summon his strings. Once more, nothing came.

The wraith came closer and Doflamingo, for the first time in nearly thirty years, found himself totally defenseless. He felt the old stirrings of panic rising up, gripping him in its terrifying maw.

He hadn't felt this way in years, and he had forgotten how powerless it made him. He could only watch as the wraith creeped closer, its rotted hands reaching for him, coming closer, closer….

Until it was stopped by a gleaming purple sword thrust through its chest.

It disappeared in a poof, leaving only a dark, swirling stone behind. It gave off a terrible, menacing energy, even as it was plucked off the ground by a bare hand, Doflamingo, still in shock, looked up to see the Farmer nonchalantly inspecting the strange stone.

"Finally, I thought we'd never find this." She said, holding out the stone for Doflamingo to inspect.

Instead, he flinched away, wanting to get as far from whatever weird remnant of the wraith as he could.

"It's just void essence," The Farmer told him, "it can't hurt you! Or, well it _can_ , but only if you're nearby when Rasmodius does his experiments. Which you won't be. He needs this to get your form back, so you'll only be around for the final spell."

Noticing his tense posture, she offered to carry him back to the surface. Which , of course, he refused by pushing right past her towards the ladder.

He needed to think of a way to get his powers back.

He'd sworn to never be helpless again, and that was the only promise he'd ever intended to keep.

 **Thanks as always to Fiend, my lovely beta 3 Also, if y'all want, come check out my Discord server!**


	8. Chapter 5- An Egg-cellent Favor

For the second time in two weeks, Liza was woken up by thunderous banging on her door.

She swung the door open, clad only in her bathrobe, ready to skewer whoever was dumb enough to bother her before she had her coffee. A loud _smack_ was heard, as well as a cry of pain.

" _Shane?"_ she asked incredibly. "Are you all right? What the hell are you doing here this early?"

Shane rubbed his forehead. "Yoba's sake, Little Liza, that's a hell of a way to greet someone!" he groaned.

Liza flushed at the ridiculous nickname. She knew she was short, but did he have to rub it in? " _Don't call me little!_ And that's what you get for waking me up so goddamn early!" She took a deep, calming breath. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Marnie asked a favor." Shane mumbled, suddenly a little bashful. "Some of our hens fell ill, and we won't be able to have enough eggs for the Egg Festival. She was wondering if you could lend us some eggs from your chickens. Marnie's willing to pay for them, of course."

Liza waved him off. "The eggs are free of charge, Shane. Consider it a community service." She winked cheekily at him, all anger gone. "How many do you need?"

"Uhm, twelve." Shane replied, his face turned a light crimson. "We can cover the rest."

Liza did the mental math. She had an army of chickens in her coops, so twelve eggs were really no big deal. She would just make the rest of the eggs into mayonnaise to recoup the loss. "Let me take care of my chores," she told Shane, "and I'll be right there."

Shane tried to offer his help, but she rebuffed him politely. "I'll be over after lunch," she said, "so don't worry."

After waving him off, she got right to work. While she was harvesting the cherries, she noticed the flamingo had made its way to the riverbank. It seemed to be flailing its wings in odd ways, hopping around as if the ground burned it. _Maybe it was trying to fly?_ she wondered.

Her resident pink pest was in a worse mood than ever since their adventure to the mines. The shadow wraith seemed to have scared it something awful. Perhaps the flamingo used to be something small and cute in its other world. Almost certainly it wasn't used to danger, as its reaction to the wraith proved. Liza wondered, idly, if there was a way to help it overcome its fear.

Just as she thought that, the flamingo tripped over its own legs and began viciously kicking at the dirt.

Best leave him to it, she decided.

After all of her adorable, monstrous little chickens have been fed and patted, she gathered the eggs she needed and made her way down the forest path to Marnie's. She also included a slice of pink cake for Jas, a plate of pepper poppers for Shane, and some of her best blackberry wine for Marnie. Liza hated to do things by halves, and she knew Marnie would appreciate the gifts.

Her ever-present pink shadow was absent today, too busy with whatever strange ritual it was practicing to follow her. The visit would be a short one anyway.

She strolled into Marnie's shop at precisely three o'clock, thumping the basket containing her gifts onto the counter. Marnie's eyes went wide as she surveyed the contents of the basket. "Oh, Farmer Liza, you didn't have to do all that!"

"Don't be silly, of course I did!" Liza brushed off Marnie's protestations. "I couldn't let the festival go without eggs! Especially since the only other place that sells eggs is _Joja_ , and Yoba knows we'd all get salmonella just from _touching_ theirs!"

Marnie pursed her lips in worry. "Still! I know you have enough work on your plate without coming all the way over here, but you went through all that extra work for us! Are you _sure_ you won't accept payment?"

Liza felt almost offended by the suggestion. "Absolutely _not_." She said firmly. "You know I don't accept payment. This is for the _festival_ , for the community, and it wouldn't feel right. Gramps never accepted payment, and neither would I."

Marnie sighed, "Oh, Liza, I know you look up to your Grandfather, but times have changed now. You don't have to run the farm _exactly_ like he did."

Liza pursed her lips, keeping her temper down. "It's his farm," she replied, "And I'll do it his way. He left me a way out, and the least I can do is to preserve his legacy."

Liza doesn't let her mind wander the dark place it existed in before the valley. Doesn't think of the mind-numbing work conditions, the soul-crushing boredom and loneliness of the city. Doesn't think of how Gramps' letter was a ray of hope in a dark and lifeless ocean.

She was brought out of her stupor by a hand on her cheek. Marnie's face was soft with matronly concern. "All right, sweetie," was all she said, "I won't insist. But if you ever need anything…"

Liza smiled tightly. "I'll be sure to let you know."

She left then, to do some fishing near the ocean. The sound of the waves had always calmed her down, and she had to be in a good headspace for the festival tomorrow.

 **Enormous thanks to ThatFiend! They're so wonderful~!**


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